Page 27 of Prudence (Balfe Family #1)

Milly

“What kind of a problem?” Derek’s low, rumbly response filled my ears while Deirdre and Gigi paced nervously at my side. I was pretty sure poor Gigi was on the verge of tears.

“Well, we just arrived at the venue, but they won’t admit us because the person who purchased the tickets needs to be present,” I explained. “I don’t know how we overlooked it. I’d literally pay for three more tickets at the booth right now if I could, but the show is completely sold out.”

“Bloody hell, okay,” Derek replied, and it sounded like he was moving around wherever he was. I heard the recognisable jangle of keys. “I’m on my way. How long until the show starts?”

“Twenty minutes, but there’s an opening act so I’m guessing we have a little under an hour before Purple Beatrice are on stage.”

“That should be just about enough time for me to get there. Stay put. I’ll meet you outside the venue.”

“All right, but don’t break any speed limits,” I replied, worried.

Derek gave a quiet chuckle. “I won’t. See you soon.”

“Thanks, Derek. You’re a life saver.”

I hung up and turned back to the girls. Deirdre wasn’t quite as bereft as Gigi since she’d already seen the band live twice, but it warmed my heart how she’d wrapped her arm around Gigi’s shoulders, quietly reassuring her.

It was clear the girl had really been looking forward to the concert, and I berated myself for not foreseeing how this could happen.

I mean, I knew of people who’d been caught out in this exact same situation, and it still hadn’t occurred to me.

Gigi gave a small sniffle, and my heart went out to her.

Stepping close, I placed a hand softly on her arm. “Your dad’s on his way. He’ll be here by the time they go on stage. You won’t miss a single song. I promise.”

She blinked up at me, her wide brown eyes full of anxiety that she might not get a chance to see her favourite band live.

I knew it was normal for a girl her age to get upset in a situation like this, but her distress struck me as intense.

My words seemed to settle her somewhat, and she visibly began to calm down.

To pass the time, I brought the girls to a nearby shop and bought them some drinks and chocolate bars to shore up their energy.

I’d planned to take them for burgers after the show, but with the stress of being denied entry, they needed some sugar to calm their nerves.

We returned to the entrance to the theatre, and at long last, Derek arrived.

I’d never been so happy to see him. He looked like he’d come straight from work, wearing dark slacks, a few buttons on his white shirt undone and the sleeves rolled up displaying a pair of indecently sexy forearms. On his wrist was an expensive-looking silver watch.

I was distracted by his tan skin and sprinkling of dark arm hair while Gigi gushed, “Dad! You’re here! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Finally managing to drag my gaze away from his exposed arms, I dipped my head at him in hello before we all quickly hurried over to the usher manning the entrance.

The queue from earlier was gone, with everyone inside watching the opening act.

I could hear the upbeat pop music streaming out as Derek presented his ID with the tickets, and the guy quickly scanned them.

Deirdre and Gigi immediately dashed through, heading for the stage while I turned back to Derek.

“It was so kind of you to rush in. I’m sorry if it put you out.”

“It didn’t. I was just leaving my office to head home for the evening when you called.”

“Still, thank you for coming. The girls were about to have a meltdown if they couldn’t get in to see the band.”

Derek’s gaze met mine, his focus roving over my long purple coat and navy wraparound dress.

I wore a gold necklace with a circular pendant that sat in the centre of my modest cleavage.

It seemed to momentarily distract him before he forced his eyes back to mine.

A faint heat rose in my cheeks as I swallowed and tried to suppress the strange way he was suddenly making me feel.

Maybe it was just his forearms.

“Well, I’d better get in there,” I said, breaking the thick quiet before Derek placed his hand lightly on my shoulder.

“Wait a second.” He turned and walked back out onto the street. I watched as he approached a tout who was trying to flog overpriced tickets. They exchanged a few words, and then Derek was handing over a wad of cash. He waved the ticket at me as he returned to my side.

“Might as well stick around now that I’m here,” he said. “And this way, I can drive you all home when the show is over.”

I suppressed a smile. “I really don’t want to know how much money you just paid for that.”

“Too much,” he answered with a sigh before his hand moved to my lower back.

I blinked as he showed his ticket to the same guy Gigi and Deirdre had just rushed past before ushering me in.

Distracted by the heat of his hand even through the fabric of my clothing, I endeavoured to steady my breathing.

I was also surprised that he’d bought a ticket and hadn’t opted to just go and wait in his car.

These last few weeks, he’d gone out of his way not to spend any extended amount of time with me, but now he’d just paid over the odds to endure the entire duration of a pop concert in my presence?

“I’m sorry again for interrupting your evening like this,” I said to break the quiet between us. The venue was loud, so I had to go up on my tiptoes and shout into his ear to be heard.

“Not your fault. I should’ve read the terms and conditions on the tickets more closely. Admittedly, I’ve been so busy with work lately that it’s distracted me from other things.”

I nodded. That made sense. We were coming into the summer season, so I imagined his hotels were running at maximum capacity due to their popularity with wealthy tourists.

“Oh, I think I’ve spotted the girls,” I said, making out the backs of their heads not too far from the stage.

“Where?” Derek asked, his voice unexpectedly close. He’d bent down to speak to me over the music, his mouth near my ear. His breath washed over my skin, and the tiniest shudder went through me.

“Over there,” I answered, pointing, and Derek’s gaze followed before he nodded. “I’ve spotted them. I suppose we should hang back here so as not to ruin their night,” he went on with a hint of humour.

It was shocking to hear him almost make a joke since he was usually so grumpy and serious around me. I smiled at him. “Right, good idea.”

We stood close to one another as the opening act finished up, and then Purple Beatrice were finally taking to the stage.

The excitement of the crowd was palpable, and a group of girls nearby hurried past us to try and get closer, knocking me into Derek in the process.

His hands came to my waist to steady me as he glowered in the direction of the girls.

“Are you all right?” he asked, peering down at me in concern while I braced my palms against his chest for balance.

“I’m fine,” I replied with a quiet laugh. “I was bound to get a little jostled, especially since the building is teeming with overexcited teenagers.”

“Yeah,” Derek said. “They could use a lesson in manners, though.”

Something about the gruff statement had my stomach whirling.

Derek’s strict, disapproving dad side was strangely appealing to me.

He released me and stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets as though annoyed that he’d had to touch me.

But no, that couldn’t be it. If that were the case, then he never would’ve placed his hand at the small of my back earlier.

“It looks like things are only going to get more intense,” I said as the crowd went wild for the band’s first song. “There’s a bar upstairs that’s probably completely empty right now. Why don’t we go and get a drink? I think Deirdre and Gigi should be okay on their own for a little while.”

Derek looked at me, then scanned the crowd, locating our daughters. He rubbed his jaw, seeming to decide, then said, “Sure, let’s go get a drink.”

His hand returned to the spot on my lower back as he guided me upstairs.

So, yeah, he definitely wasn’t averse to touching me.

I didn’t know what to make of the contact.

Then again, this was probably just how Derek acted when he was alone with a woman.

He was protective even if he had zero romantic intentions.

It was just his personality. He’d probably been the exact same way with his cousin’s friend, Kayla, when he’d taken her on a tour around his neighbourhood.

A swift bolt of jealousy swept over me at the thought, but I pushed it down.

No point feeling jealous over a man who literally had to tolerate my company for the sake of his daughter.

Then again, he was acting much friendlier towards me tonight.

Maybe this was progress towards something resembling a friendship?

“What will you have?” Derek asked as we each took a seat by the bar. As expected, it was empty, with just a handful of other people around our age who looked like parents on chaperone duty.

“A chardonnay if they have one,” I replied, and Derek snagged the attention of the bartender.

“A glass of chardonnay and a San Pellegrino, please.”

I peered up at him. “You’re not drinking?”

My question seemed to take him off guard momentarily before he answered, “No, I, uh, I’m driving.”

“Ah, right, yeah, best not to chance it.”

The bartender was quick to deliver our drinks to us while Derek handed over his card. A few moments of somewhat awkward silence passed. I faced forward, taking a sip of my wine as I studied the bottles of liquor behind the bar, aware of Derek’s attention on my profile.

“My sister tells me you’re starting a new job at the end of summer,” he said then, breaking the quiet.